Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: 20-Carat Diamond Ring

He reached out, hooked Sophie Shaw’s chin, and turned her face toward him.

Staring at her swollen face, he looked displeased. "Who did this to my beautiful wife’s face?"

Sophie Shaw gently brushed his hand away. "Mr. Blackwood, please don’t ask."

"We’re already married, and I’m not allowed to ask?"

"We agreed not to interfere in each other’s private lives, remember?"

Alaric Blackwood nodded and didn’t press the matter.

His brows furrowed as he started the car, then slammed the accelerator to the floor.

A little over ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of a very high-end private kitchen.

This place was, first, expensive, and second, exclusive. It only served a high-end clientele, and most people didn’t even know it existed. The patrons were mostly regulars, but even they needed to book in advance.

Alaric Blackwood was good friends with the owner. He had made one phone call on the way over and secured a table.

He led Sophie Shaw inside. A waitress in a red qipao bowed respectfully at the entrance and showed them in.

The lighting inside was dim, with lanterns providing all the illumination. The decor was antique and elegant. Just inside the entrance was a man-made fishpond with the gentle sound of flowing water, where several plump koi swam about.

Further in, Sophie Shaw noticed that each table was separated by a carved wooden screen to ensure diners’ privacy. Combined with the dim lighting and the well-spaced tables, it was impossible to see the people at adjacent tables clearly.

"It’s so dark in here," Sophie Shaw muttered under her breath.

Alaric Blackwood glanced at her, his arm lightly wrapping around her waist to keep her from stumbling. "To put it nicely, this restaurant’s special feature is respecting its guests’ privacy. To put it bluntly, it’s called eating in the dark."

...

"Even if you’re blind, the food still ends up in your mouth, not up your nose, right?"

Sophie Shaw was speechless.

After they were seated, the waitress struck a match and lit the antique-style candlestick on the table. A single cluster of light now illuminated their table.

"A real candlelight dinner," Alaric Blackwood teased.

Sophie Shaw had been feeling down all afternoon, but his lighthearted comment made the corners of her lips curve up slightly, and her mood lifted a little.

After they ordered, the waitress quickly brought over a small tray with hot towels for their hands.

Then, the waitress returned with a freshly brewed pot of fragrant tea.

The service, she had to admit, was excellent.

"Do you have an ice pack?" Alaric Blackwood asked.

The waitress nodded. "Yes, we do, Mr. Blackwood."

"Get one." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"Of course. Please wait a moment."

The waitress poured their tea, left, and returned shortly with an ice pack.

The man picked up the ice pack and handed it to Sophie Shaw across the table. "For your face. Put some ice on it."

"Thank you."

Then came the long wait for their food to arrive.

Sophie Shaw held the ice pack to her face.

Her gaze was fixed on Alaric Blackwood opposite her.

The man was looking down at his phone, his long fingers tapping lightly on the screen. He was messaging someone, and the back-and-forth conversation seemed lively.

It was very quiet around them. There weren’t many customers, and those who came here valued their privacy, speaking in extremely low voices.

As a result, the buzzing of Alaric Blackwood’s phone as it received messages was clearly audible.

Sophie Shaw felt a little awkward.

’The man I married is probably a Playboy type,’ she thought. ’He’s a flirt and has the means to be one. Here he is, having a candlelight dinner with his ’wife’ while his phone is blowing up. He’s probably juggling several women at once.’

"Mr. Blackwood, you really didn’t have to go out of your way to take me out for a candlelight dinner. It’s the weekend. You could be spending time with your girlfriend, or lovers, or whoever."

She felt like she was taking up her contract husband’s personal time.

Alaric Blackwood lifted his eyelids, gave her a lazy glance, and smiled. "I have too many girlfriends and lovers to see them all in one weekend. You’re the wife in name, the main one, so I’m with you first."

"The main one?"

Sophie Shaw was taken aback by that term.

Seeing her eyes widen in surprise, Alaric Blackwood pressed his lips together, suppressing a laugh as he lowered his gaze back to his phone, looking at a message from Mrs. Ford.

Mrs. Ford: [I thought we agreed to have dinner together tonight. Why did you cancel?]

He typed a reply: [Something else came up suddenly.]

Mrs. Ford: [You didn’t get rejected again, did you?]

He smiled: [Of course not. The wedding date is already set. I really do have something to take care of.]

He had originally promised Mrs. Ford he would bring Sophie Shaw to meet her for dinner tonight.

But Sophie Shaw wasn’t in a good state. Even in such dim light, the candlelight still clearly illuminated the slap mark on her face.

Half her face was so swollen, and her eyes were so red from crying...

’If they actually met, wouldn’t the old lady worry herself to death?’

’I’ll just have to pick another time.’

As he smiled at his screen, Sophie Shaw misunderstood, thinking he was having an exciting chat with some other woman. She decided to just keep her mouth shut and remained silent.

When the food arrived, she ate in silence.

While they were eating, Alaric Blackwood suddenly pushed a small, exquisitely wrapped gift box toward her. "For you."

Sophie Shaw opened the box suspiciously and found a diamond ring inside. The diamond was huge, with a diameter as wide as her finger—at least twenty carats by her estimate.

She looked up in astonishment. "Didn’t we already buy rings?"

"My mom said I was too stingy and told me to buy another one."

...

"A diamond ring this big would probably just get in the way of daily life. Just keep it. It’s for the wedding day, just to keep up appearances."

Sophie Shaw thought it over and pushed the ring back. "If it’s just for show at the wedding, then you should hold onto it. You can just put it on my finger during the ceremony."

"You don’t want it?"

Sophie Shaw felt a bit awkward accepting it; she was starting to feel the psychological pressure.

"Mr. Blackwood, ours is a contract marriage."

’How shameless would I have to be to accept such an expensive gift? The ten-million bride price, plus another ten million just for formally addressing his parents, had already made me faint once.’

Alaric Blackwood watched her with a half-smile. "You’ve improved."

"What?"

"You didn’t faint this time."

...

"Since you’re emotionally stable now, I’ll be direct. After the wedding, you will receive five percent of the Blackwood Group’s shares."

Sophie Shaw took a deep breath. "Five percent?"

"Think it’s too little?"

"No..." ’It’s too much.’

’Five percent of the Blackwood Group’s shares... what did that even mean?’

"By the way, do you have anyone in mind for a bridesmaid?" Alaric Blackwood changed the subject.

"I do."

Sophie Shaw immediately thought of Anne.

"We’re trying on the dress tomorrow. Get in touch with your bridesmaid and wait for my call."

"Oh, okay."

Alaric Blackwood pushed the ring in front of him back toward her again. "Just take it. This much is nothing."

Sophie Shaw was at a loss for words.

Sophie Shaw felt extremely anxious throughout the meal.

She hadn’t recovered from the shock even after they finished eating.

Originally, she had wanted to discuss something with Alaric Blackwood. After they were married and she moved into Maplewood Estate, could he please not bring other women home? He could just get a hotel room. After all, given his status, the money for a room was nothing to him.

But after receiving so many benefits all at once, she found it hard to bring it up.

’Whatever. Let him do what he wants.’

’Even if Mr. Sugar Daddy brings home eight or ten women for a party, I wouldn’t dare to have a single objection.’

"Take the ring." Alaric Blackwood stood up, ready to go pay the bill.

Sophie Shaw murmured an "oh" and silently put the ring in her bag, following the man to the front desk.

When they left the private kitchen, a chilly wind blew against them. She was just about to quicken her pace and run toward the parking lot when a weight settled on her shoulders.

A man’s warm jacket had been draped over her shoulders.

She turned to look. Alaric Blackwood had a calm expression as he draped the jacket over her, his hand still resting on her shoulder.